HazelDiary

Exploring Nara on a day trip from either Kyoto or Osaka is a must for many travelers, as it offers a wealth of cultural and historical experiences, along with the charming Nara Deer Park. Here’s a concise free and easy itinerary for your one-day Nara adventure: Read More

Katsudon Chiyomatsu is a popular katsudon shop opened by former sekitori ( sumo wrestler). It is known for its special 5cm pork cutlet/ katsu bowl so we decided to give it a try. We reached the store around 7pm and queued for an hour plus before securing our seat. The store has limited space with only 12 seats at the U-shaped counter. Diners get to watch chef on action while waiting for food to be served. Read More

Amanohashidate (天橋立) is one of Japan’s three scenic views. Amanohashidate, the meaning is referred to roughly bridge in heaven and is a 3.6-km-long, pine tree covered sand bar. It spans across Miyazu Bay on the Tango Peninsula, northern Kyoto Prefecture. We decided to take a free and easy day trip to northern Kyoto during our recent trip to Kyoto. If you prefer a tour instead, you can consider this pre-purchase day trip tour here. Read More

Soba Takama located within a walking distance from Tenjinbashisuji Rokuchome Station was our first meal upon arrival of Osaka, Japan. It was just a few trains stops away from Courtyard by Marriott Shin-Osaka Station(where we were staying during our Osaka trip) and we decided to go for this before our next itinerary. The restaurant is tucked away in the side streets, and you can easily miss it. If you are planning to visit them, do look out for the wooden shop with a sliding door. Read More

During my Tokyo trip last year, I passed by Tokyo Station almost everyday. Tokyo Station is one of the largest stations in Japan and there are many retail shops and restaurant to explore. It is the hub for the Shinkansen. So be sure to spare some time to explore the station when you are there in Tokyo, Japan. Read More

Din Tai Fung is a well-known Taiwanese style restaurant and it is one of the must-visit restaurants when in Taipei, Taiwan. The restaurant specializes in Xiao Long Bao and their pork chop fried rice. We were in Tokyo for a week and decided to have Chinese food for dinner on one of the night. Thus, we decided to visit Din Tai Fung restaurant located at Nihonbashi Branch out of their 17 branches in Japan. Read More

I am back with my Japan travelogue post and this is about an impromptu stop at Echigo Yuzawa. Our initial plan is to see the snow monkeys of Jigokudani, Yamanouchi at Nagano but due to the faulty shinkasen train service, we cannot go in the end. So, we just took the shinkasen train towards Niigata to see where to explore. Read More

Kawagoe (川越) is a Japanese city northwest of Tokyo. It is approximately 30minutes train ride from Central Tokyo. My Japanese friend recommended us to drop by here for a day trip destination so we headed over after our lunch. Read More

Apart from matcha desserts, Tokyo’s kakigori shaved ice desserts are recommended as well. We were looking for dessert place and came across this recommendation from online reviews. Mamechawan is recommended as one of Tokyo’s best kakigori shaved ice desserts. So, we decided to visit the restaurant on one of the days when we are exploring Tokyo. Read More

With our 5-DAY JR East Pass Rail, we decided to use 1 day to explore Ushiku Daibutsu (牛久大仏). Ushiku Daibutsu is a statue located in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is completed in 1993 and it stands a total of 120metres (390ft) tall, including the 10m (33ft) base and 10m lotus platform. The statue held the record for the tallest statue from 1993-2002. Read More